Of Clouds and Coffeeshops
by OakeX
Summary: Because the two aren't really that unrelated. Oneshot. #sgauweek


**Mustardseed is not shown enough on this fandom. Which is a massive shame, because I feel like he's the guy who keeps Puck afloat but never really gets recognised. So I've written this, although I may have added his**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sisters Grimm.**

* * *

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

She looks up from her magazine. A blonde boy with a toothy grin (and what looks to be a thermos) is looking down at her.

"Uh... No, it's free if you want it." She looks around. "There are lots of empty tables though. You don't have to double up."

He sits down, and unscrews his thermos. "I know, but I'm trying to improve my social skills, and it doesn't really work when you're alone. If you don't mind helping me, of course," he smiles.

She smiles back, and takes off her glasses. "No problem. I'm no great conversationalist, though. You might be better off with the pretty barista over there," she says jokingly.

His eye twinkles. "Why bother? There's a prettier girl sitting right here."

She laughs, and puts her magazine on the floor. "My name's Sabrina."

"I'm Mustardseed."

"Interesting name."

"Eh, I'm personally more of a ketchup guy."

Her smile shifts from polite to amused. She shakes her head. "I don't get why you need the practice. Your social skills are fine."

His grin widens. He lifts up his thermos. "That's 'cause of this."

"What's in that, anyway?"

"The best goddamn drink I've ever had." As if to emphasise his point, he tips it over and takes a sip. "Ow, still hot."

"That sort of ruined the effect."

"It's the thought that counts."

"That's not the right context to use it in."

He shrugs."Sue me." He pours some of his drink into the cap. "It's green tea, by the way" he says, as way of explanation. "My mother bought me some high-quality leaves last time she came over. And this morning, I made an especially high-quality brew before I set out. So yeah, feeling pretty good right now." He takes another appreciative sip, and sighs in contentment. "It's the nectar of gods, I'll tell you that now. Do you like tea?"

She picks up her (now barely warm) cappuccino cup. "No tea for me. I'm more of a coffee kinda girl."

"Black?"

She wrinkles her nose. "No way, it's too strong. I feel like I'm drinking tar. A little milk and sugar helps to sweeten things up a bit."

"That _is_ what sugar is for."

"Don't be a smartass."

He raises an eyebrow. "Pretty strong language for someone you just met."

"Pretty smartassery remarks for someone you just met."

He grins. "Touche."

She raises her eyebrows in agreement as she drinks from her cup. She smacks her lips appreciatively. "It's a lot better when it's hot, but it's not bad cold."

"Mmm..." There's a buzzing from his pocket, and he pulls a phone out. He looks at the flashing screen, and rolls his eyes good-naturedly. He quickly types back a text.

"Who's that?" Sabrina asks, when he's slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Your girlfriend?" She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"God no. That was my mother."

"Oh."

"Nice try, though."

"Don't patronise me."

"It's called being encouraging, actually."

"Don't encourage me, then."

"Sheesh, you must be a ray of sunshine at parties."

"Please, I'm a ray of sunshine all the time."

He laughs.

"So what'd she say?" Sabrina asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just asked if I was alright, how I was feeling, that kind of thing. She worries a lot."

"Ah."

There's a comfortable silence.

"So," Sabrina begins, "do you live here? Or are you just holidaying?"

"Holidaying. I actually come from England, but I take a four-week vacation to here every year."

"Get away from school?"

"Get away from work."

"Oh, what'd you do?"

"I run a small printing company over in Stratford-upon-Avon."

"The place where Shakespeare was born?"

"Yeah. Big trade with his works over there."

"Do you like them?"

He winces. "Honestly, no. I can't stand them. But they sell well, and I've got other people to check over them, so it doesn't really matter whether I like them or not."

"Shame, I like a good bit of Shakespeare. Richard III and Macbeth are my favourites."

"I notice you've chosen two gory ones."

"Don't judge me. What do you like to read then?"

"Fairytales. The Brothers Grimm are my heroes."

"Brothers Grimm..." She frowns for a second, trying to remember. "Oh! The Cinderella guys, right?"

He laughs. "I guess you could call them that."

"Man, that brings back memories."

"Do you like them?"

"I did. I used to be a big fan of Snow White."

"And then you grew out of them?"

"Yeah."

He sighs. "Yeah, a lot of people do. It's kind of sad, really. I'm like the only person left who still reads them in his spare time."

"Nothing wrong with being a bit different." She drains the last of her coffee. "So what else do you do when you're bored, apart from read fairy tales?"

"I like a bit of cloud-watching, if the weather's nice."

Her eyebrows rise a little. "Cloud-watching?"

"Yeah. Haven't you ever done that before?"

"Well, I mean... a little bit, when I was a kid..."

"And you didn't like it?"

"I always found it a bit boring, to be honest."

He chuckles. "Yeah, I can't blame you. It depends on the contrast, I guess."

"Huh?"

"Like, from where you come from. It's really stressful running a business, even if I do have my mom keeping an eye on things, and sometimes it's nice to just... leave for a bit. Get away from it all, you know? All the paperwork and profit figures and estimated losses... to just lie down and not let it bother you for a bit."

"It relaxes you?"

"Yeah. It's a bit of an escape, let's me be a kid again. You know, I always wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid."

She snickers.

He arches an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing nothing. You just sound like my little brother."

"He also wanted to be an astronaut?"

" _Wants_. It's all he ever talks about."

"He's a smart kid."

"He's six."

"He's a smart kid nonetheless." His eyes glaze over for a second, and he smiles dreamily. "I don't know, there's just something about clouds and flying which makes me happy. Flying, especially. I wish I could fly. Don't you think that'd be cool? If you could just pop out a pair of wings and fly, go anywhere you want, see everything you've ever wanted to see."

"Sounds like even if you could, you'd be leaving a lot of responsibilities behind."

The goofy grin on his face dims a little. Hi eyes re-sharpen, and he runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know. This holiday is hard enough to get as it is, it's my family's only form of income, and my mum still texts me with questions every two days or so. And it's not like I don't like what I do, it's fulfilling. But..."

"But you can always dream."

His smile returns. "Exactly."

Her pocket vibrates. She pulls her phone out, and taps the alarm off.

"That's the end of my break," she smiles apologetically.

He waves it aside. "You've been great company, Sabrina."

"So have you, Mustardseed."

She picks up her magazine and empty cup, and stands up.

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

He shakes his head. "I wish I could. My plane leaves early tomorrow."

She extends a hand. "Well, it's been great getting to know you anyway."

He takes it. "Same here."

He walks her to the door, and holds it open for her.

"How polite," she comments.

"I am well-known for my gallantry."

She snorts.

He closes the door behind her.

There is silence for a moment. She's holding her things, and he's got his hands shoved into his pockets.

She clears her throat. "I'll see you... whenever?"

He nods. "Whenever."

...

She never did see him again, of course. But little things that he said would still float in her head, sometimes, when she was waiting tables or sitting in a plane. Little things like 'I wish I could fly', and 'I'm more of a ketchup guy'.

She wonders how he is now.

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 **Not my best work, I know. I'm still trying to play around with Mustardseed, getting his personality right so he's not just a mirror-image of Puck, so the characterisation might be a bit off. Also, I know there's a lot of awkward phrasing and strange sentences and things like that, but I can't figure out how to fix it. So if anyone knows how, or spots something they don't like, please tell me because it's really bugging me.**


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